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Unable to open available offline file on my Android.

yoshipo2010

Hi.

I'm using the Android version of the Dropbox app. (ver. 450.2.2)

I set the text file to "Available offline" and edit it offline.

In certain circumstances, offline files cannot be opened.

1. Connect your Android device to the Internet and sync files.

2. Edit the text file marked "Available offline", save it, and synchronize it with the server.

3. Disconnect your Android device from the internet.

4. Tap the file you just synced.

5. I can't open a file and get the error message "Network error. Retry later."

If you open a synced text file while your device is online, you can then open the text file even if your device is offline. If you sync a text file and then go offline without opening it online, you will not be able to open the text file. Please fix this behavior.

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Comments

Megan

Hey @yoshipo2010, let's see what we can find together about this!

When did you first notice this behavior?

On step 2 you also mentioned that you save the file, and then synchronize it with the server. Just to make sure we're aligned, do you use these steps in order to update any recent changes you've made while the file was available offline?

Is this happening with all offline files or some of them? I know this might sound trivial, but have you tried restarting your device, to see if that helps?

Also, can you confirm that you have at least 500 MB of storage space available on your device (not your Dropbox)?

Keep me posted, and we'll take it from there!

yoshipo2010

Hi Megan!

> When did you first notice this behavior?

I noticed this behavior about six months ago.

> On step 2 you also mentioned that you save the file, and then synchronize it with the server. Just to make sure we're aligned, do you use these steps in order to update any recent changes you've made while the file was available offline?

Yes. I edited the text file while I was offline, and I want to sync it to the Dropbox server once I'm back online.

> Is this happening with all offline files or some of them? I know this might sound trivial, but have you tried restarting your device, to see if that helps?

Yes, this problem occurs with any text file. I haven't tried it with other types of files so I don't know. Restarting didn't solve the problem.

The storage capacity is ample.

Let me re-enter the steps to reproduce this issue:

The device is offline.
Edit the text file.
Bring the device back online.
The text file will be synced to the Dropbox server.
Without opening the text file, take the device offline.
When trying to open the text file, I get the error "Network error. Retry later."

Or reproduce it below:

The device is online.
Edit the text file.
The text file will be synced to the Dropbox server.
Without opening the text file, take the device offline.
When trying to open the text file, I get the error "Network error. Retry later."

Thanks.

Jay

Hi @yoshipo2010. thanks for the details.

If you're not on a Dropbox Basic plan with more than 3 devices connected, could you try uninstalling the app, rebooting the device, and re-installing it to see if this helps?

yoshipo2010

Hi Jay!

> If you're not on a Dropbox Basic plan with more than 3 devices connected, could you try uninstalling the app, rebooting the device, and re-installing it to see if this helps?

I tried uninstalling the app, restarting the device and reinstalling it.

In that case, I was able to open the file without any errors.

While trying this out, I noticed that I could save and close the text file in the Dropbox app's built-in text editor, and then open it offline.

However, if you use a different text editor, you may get the error shown above.

I use the QuickEdit text editor.

The built-in text editor seems to reload the file the moment you save it, so it seems like you can still open it even if you go offline right after saving.

If you need to reload a text file after saving it in order to access it offline, please fix the app to do this automatically.

Jay

Thanks for the info, we appreciate the feedback on this matter and we do take all comments into consideration when improving the Dropbox mobile app!